Our History

Saturday 21st February 2015 was a memorable day in the history of Bushmills Free Presbyterian Church. It was on that morning that a prayer meeting was called by our Presbytery to bring the work of God in this little town in North Antrim before the LORD in an attempt to ascertain the mind of God as to the future of the witness here. Numbers attending the worship services had fallen into decline and the Session of Coleraine F. P. C. who have the oversight of Bushmills shared in the concern, hence the decision was taken to bring the matter before the Presbytery. It was recognised that Rev. Malcolm Patterson, Rev. John Woods, and Mr. Mark Telford had each laboured faithfully and earnestly to see the work continue and there had indeed been times of blessing; but, at this stage, the ‘tide was out’ and the few remaining adherents were understandably concerned for the future of the work.

On that Saturday morning some fifty or so members of Presbytery met in the church building along with about eight persons who were really the core of the little congregation. And what a prayer meeting that turned out to be! The then Moderator, Rev. John Greer preached a most encouraging message that seemed to suggest that the Lord still had a work to do in Bushmills despite the evident ‘hardness’ of the ground being laboured. The spirit of prayer that followed was most encouraging and there certainly was an evident enthusiasm in prayer! Such was the anticipation of God’s blessing that the Moderator, in his closing prayer, challenged the Lord by praying that if it be God’s will for the door to be kept open, He would ‘Do something unusual to-morrow’.( the Lord’s Day). That ‘to-morrow’ came and a dear soul who had been prayed for for about forty years came seeking the Lord for salvation! God had spoken! And what a thrill that was for those few people in Bushmills. Not only was a soul saved, but God had shown clearly that the work has a future! At the close of that Saturday morning prayer time, the recently retired Rev. Raymond McLernon was approached and asked if he would step into the pulpit for a period to see what God was going to do. After fulfilling a previous engagement of some weeks in Tavistock Mr. McLernon took up the work in March of that year praying that the Lord would draw the right people into Bushmills……people who would get behind the work with their presence and prayers and God has been answering that pray ever since!

Attendances since then have been encouraging even though there has been some fluctuation. As happens everywhere, changes come through marriages and death but today we have a settled attendance of some twenty one adults and seven children on a regular basis. We have been encouraged this year especially with some fifteen names on the Sunday School roll. Four years ago there was no Sunday School! Here, tribute must be paid to the Sunday School teachers who met faithfully each Sabbath morning at Sunday School time to pray for children. That went on for over two years when there wasn’t a child about the place! They literally prayed the children in! Credit is also due to a young couple who stuck with the work when there was nobody else in their age group but who were convinced they are where God wants them to be. We are thankful that other young people have now joined the witness. About eleven children now attend regularly at the Thursday night Children’s meeting. The number of visitors who support the witness, especially over the Summer months, is most encouraging and we want to record our heartfelt thanks to God for the many people from all across the Province who are remembering the work in prayer.

Our prayer is that God will put Bushmills on the map for the right reason I.e. rather than be known for its spirit industry at the distillery, it might be known as that place where the Spirit of God has visited in mighty power! Brethren, pray for us! Pray with us that the power of the devil will be overthrown and that Christ will be glorified in the salvation of many precious souls in this place! Surely the end is not yet, but the best is yet to be! Praise the Lord! I will build My church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Matt.16:18.